Hands On With The Montblanc Villeret 1858 Vintage Pulsographe: In-House, Enamel, And Totally Under The Radar

I am a true lover of chronographs. In fact, if I were to look at my personal collection of watches, I'd bet more than half featured this complication. The chronograph is everywhere, and yet it is quietly one of the most delicate, most time intensive, and most daunting horological flourishes to design, develop, and implement. Consider the fact that there were less than a dozen truly different chronograph calibers made in the 20th century – the majority shared base movements with each other (the Valjoux family, Lemania calibers, etc). Even today, everyone makes a chronograph, few make them in an interesting way (the exceptions being Patek, Lange, Journe, GP and the other usual suspects). And then this year at SIHH, Montblanc showed me this. The Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsographe hit all the right notes for me, with its superbly finished, elegantly crafted Minerva powered movement. The movement is gorgeous (love that devil's tail up top), and the watch was downright mean.

You can see more on the new Pulsographe here, but it was this watch from 2014 that caused me to dig a bit deeper into Montblanc's high-end Villeret chronograph production. The watch I discovered is maybe even more impressive than the Meisterstuck, and it has flown under the radar since its introduction way back in 2011. The Montblanc 1858 Vintage Pulsographe is the watch you see here. It uses the same insanely finished chronograph movement, which is a single-button movement. But really, when I say this caliber is finished well, I mean really, really, well. Like truly top quality well.

But, what makes this 2011 release interesting relative to the new Meisterstuck Pulsograph is the fact that it A) is smaller, at 39mm in diameter, and B) features a stunning baked enamel dial. The dial here is just downright incredible, featuring bright red and white accents on a glossy black background.

What really sets this watch off, however, is the pulsation scale the on dial. These "doctors" dial watches were prominent in the middle part of last century, and are still amongst the most desirable for any collector. This particular example with a pulsation dial in black enamel, offset by a gorgeous rose-gold case in the perfect, 39mm diameter, with a vintage-style movement featuring modern finishing, is just such a fantastic package. The Montblanc Villeret 1858 Vintage Pulsographe was made in two limited editions of 58 pieces: one in rose gold as pictured, and one in white gold. The retail price of this watch is in the mid $40's, which is by no means inexpensive. But, when you have this watch in hand, look at the quality of the enamel dial, the case, and the finishing of the movement, you really begin to see why the Villeret Montblanc collection has such a strong following among connoisseurs. This is very, very cool watch. More details here.

Editor's Note: This particular example was seen and photographed at Manfredi's in Greenwich, CT, where the watch is currently for sale. It's absolutely worth a stop in to see it.

Among its new releases this year, Montblanc's crowning complicated timepiece may have to be the Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geosphères. This limited-edition release houses yet another manufacture movement (bearing the Minerva inscription) and features a tourbillon with a cylindrical hairspring manufactured on-site at the manufacture's Villeret workshop.

We all knew it was coming, but we just didn't know in what capacity the technology would manifest itself at first. As of this morning, the first of 2015, Montblanc presents the first foray into digital wearables from a traditional luxury brand with its Timewalker Urban Speed e-Strap. Click through for the details.

Montblanc continues to expand its lineup on the right path. In 2014, we covered in-house chronos, enamel dials, superbly finished devils’ tails, Minerva engravings, a perpetual calendar deal of the year, and a world timer with an in-house complication. The new Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time draws from that same development process and introduces a dual-time complication at a rather accessible price point.

Montblanc's new Meisterstück Heritage Collection is making a lot of friends, and quickly. I already told you about the limited edition Minerva powered monopusher chronograph, and now we're back with something potentially even more impressive. This is a new 39mm perpetual calendar, available in rose gold or stainless steel, for just an absolutely unheard of price. In rose gold, this watch will be $21,000, and in steel, $12,800. Yes, people, you're reading this right... Montblanc just dropped a full perpetual calendar in stainless steel for under $13,000.

Not only is Montblanc making relatively affordable, complicated timepieces, but it is also digging into its Minerva roots and applying innovation to movement design. For such innovation, look no further than the new Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph. Due to its construction, the ExoTourbillon mechanism uses almost a third less power than a traditional mechanism. Additionally, retrograde chronograph registers for seconds and minutes offer a bold take on the traditional chronograph. Oh, and the price? It is, frankly, hard to believe.

Jerome Lambert has a long history of leading great watch companies. And when I say great, I mean some of the best in the world. Lambert helmed Jaeger-LeCoultre (before recent interviewee Daniel Riedo), and A. Lange & Söhne, before being tasked with leading one of the most important and largest luxury brands in the world, Montblanc. Though at the wheel for less than 18 months, his taste for the historic and his penchant for elegant design can already be seen in Montblanc's latest offerings. I recently had the chance to sit down with him in New York to talk about Montblanc's role as a watchmaker, and here are five things I learned.

With the introduction of the Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Annuel Vasco da Gama, Montblanc makes a fine push into the small, but growing, segment of the industry for relatively affordable complicated timepieces. (They also score big points for having an epic product name.) This 40 mm wristwatch is modern without being cold, with a dial that balances three sub-dials for the annual calendar and a moonphase indicator with elegant ease.

Montblanc has been doing many a right thing recently. In 2014, we covered in-house chronos, enamel dials, superbly finished devils’ tails, Minerva engravings, and a perpetual calendar deal of the year. Therefore, their latest offering shouldn’t come as a shocker. The Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum is Montblanc’s new in-house World Timer that comes in stainless steel (and what we hope to be exciting pricing).

Ok, this one isn't going to set the world on fire, but it's a cool little trick that we haven't seen before. This is the limited edition Homage to Nicolas Rieussec chronograph from Montblanc. It's a nice, self-winding, fully in-house chronograph that is set-up totally different from the most traditional chronographs. But, while Rieussec family isn't new to Montblanc or us, this limited edition is, and it's got a nifty little trick up its sleeve.

Remember 2010's incredible Montblanc Metamorphosis – you know, the crazy in-house chronograph with two completely unique faces? Well, we are pleased to say that today we’re covering the Metamorphosis II (and other notables) live from Hong Kong at Watches and Wonders (be sure to stay tuned for more great updates). But first, let's get into what this new mega-complication means.